Jessie Evans Chats About True Love And Keeping You #contemporaryromance

Today we have contemporary romance author Jessie Evans in the hot seat and chatting about her new series, Always A Bridesmaid. This southern girl guest loves coffee and bacon, and I know you'll enjoy her short excerpt of Keeping You. If you don't know what a dulcimer is then this is your chance to learn a little something. 

~Mia

Interview questions for Jessie Evans!

Quick round:

Coffee, tea or…what’s your vice? COFFEE! (I’ve had a few cups today, already.)

Favorite Movie: Some Kind of Wonderful

Favorite Color: Sky Blue

Favorite book/author:  Anything by Victoria Dahl

How do you feel about bacon? More, please. On EVERYTHING! Bacon makes everything just a little better.

The REAL questions… 

Tell us a little about yourself. 

I had no clue what a dulcimer was
(bad Mia) so I looked it up.
It's played in a variety of ways--
plucked, hammered or with a bow.
Now I'm intrigued!

I gave up a career as an international woman of mystery to write sexy Southern romances. (International mystery makes child-rearing difficult and I am definitely a family woman first and foremost.) I enjoy sewing my own dresses, making ugly quilts for my friends, playing the dulcimer (badly), and going on adventures with my amazing husband and crazy kids.

What’s under your bed?
Drawers. We live in a tiny house and have to make use of every bit of storage space.

What comes first, plot or characters?
They come together and inform each other.

Pantser, plotter, or hybrid? Tell us about your writing process.
I am a pantsy-plotter. I like to start with the bare bones of the story and then let the scenes flow organically toward the ending. It’s so much more fun that way!

Oddest thing on your desk?
A pewter crawfish my husband bought me for my 32nd birthday. It is adorable and weird and I just love it.

What’s your most interesting writing quirk?
If I go more than three days in a row without writing, I become anxious that I’ve forgotten how. (After 8 years that’s not likely, but still…)

What’s your favorite thing about the genre you write in?
Banter. I love watching the verbal sparks fly!

What is the hardest thing about being an author?
The uncertainty, and constantly changing industry. But at the end of the day, the stories are always there. That’s a comfort.

What’s the easiest thing about being an author?
Coming up with ideas. I have so many stories I want to tell, I’ll never get them all out in one lifetime.

What do you wish someone had asked you for an interview question? 
Question: Do you really believe in happy endings and true love, or is this all a bunch of crap you spew out to sell books?

Answer: I ABSOLUTELY believe in happy endings and true love. My books are informed by the amazing love I’ve found. I want every lonely person in the world to find a partner as loving, supportive, funny, and magical as mine. Love—long let it live and grow!

Tell us about your latest release!
I released all 5 of the “Always a Bridesmaid” books at once. I had a blast writing them all, but Keeping You is probably the closest to my heart. It tells the story of a single mom with a young daughter finding happy ever after with the one who got away. It is such a sexy, sweet story and, as a former single mom, it tugged my heartstrings. I was so excited to give these two characters (and their sweet baby girl) a happy ending.

Blurb for Keeping You (Always a Bridesmaid 2)

A marriage of insanity...

Aria March and Nash Geary's first summer fling ended badly, very badly, and they haven't spoken a civil word to each other since they were teens.

Twelve years later, Aria is back in Summerville, fighting for custody of her little girl, and it sure wouldn't hurt her case to be in a committed relationship. Fresh from a nasty breakup, Nash will do anything to one-up Rachael, the woman who broke his heart a few months ago, even agree to a marriage of inconvenience to Aria March.

But all too soon the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and Nash and Aria find there are better things than revenge. There is forgiveness, and sexy second chances with the one who got away.

Fans of Bella Andre, Kristan Higgins, and Susan Mallery will love the Always a Bridesmaid romance series, stories featuring sassy Southern women and the alpha males who love them.

~*~

Short excerpt from Keeping You (Always a Bridesmaid book 2)...

“What are you doing?” she squeaked, pulse racing as he pulled her closer, until she was in intimate contact with every muscled inch of the man Nash Geary had become.

“Acting like this is the real deal,” Nash murmured in his panty-melting drawl.

“We’re starting now?” Aria asked as she braced her hands on his chest. “Right now?”

“Right now,” Nash said, and then he kissed her.

For a second, Aria froze, her mouth motionless against his. Kissing Nash was so completely outside the bounds of how she had expected this trip to the beer tent to go that she couldn’t seem to get her brain and her body on the same page. But then his big hand cupped the back of her head and his mouth angled into more intimate contact with her own and Aria’s mind shut off the way she’d been wishing it would all night, leaving her body to make its own decisions.

And her body knew exactly what to do.

~*~

The complete Always A Bridesmaid series is available now!

Book 1: Betting on You  Amazon * B&N 

Book 2: Keeping You     

Amazon * 

B&N * 

iTunes * 

Kobo 

Book 3: Wild For You

Book 4: Catching You (A Summerville Short Story)
Book 5: Taking You (A Summerville Novella)

~*~

About Jessie Evans...

Jessie Evans gave up a career as an international woman of mystery

to write the sassy, Southern romances she always wanted to read.

She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a tree house in the boonies. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more.

When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and wandering the woods, glass of wine and camera in hand, on the lookout for Bigfoot.

A southern girl, born and bred, Jessie loves writing Southern romances with just the right amount of sizzle, and hopes you'll enjoy her stories set in the fictional town of Summerville, Georgia. Especially the "Always a Bridesmaid" series!

Connect with Jessie Evans on the Web!

Twitter 

Facebook 

Website 

Amazon Author Page

~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

The Wizard At The Pass: Creating Profitable Boundaries For Your Business #authors

Today's post is geared to my fellow author! Mary Caelsto has been helping authors find their inner muse through her endeavor, The Muse Charmer. Hopefully you'll find some inspiration from this post on creating profitable boundaries for your business. Enjoy! 

~Mia

~*~

The Wizard At The Pass: Creating Profitable Boundaries For Your Business

By

Mary Caelsto

The image of Gandalf standing on the narrow strip of stone holding back the Balrog is an iconic scene from The Fellowship Of The Ring. Made all the more powerful by Ian McKellen’s portrayal of Gandalf, this scene is pivotal in the book. And as writers, this scene is powerful for our career.

We might not have the powers of sorcery that Gandalf the Grey has, but we do have the nine superpowers of the muse. Those are pretty powerful. Yet, in order to fully utilize our muse (and its associated superpowers) we need something more. We need boundaries.

Just as the Balrog tried to stop The Fellowship from continuing on its quest to find the ring, writers have many things which try and stop them from pursuing their writing career. Life happens, even to the best of us. Most writers I know have to juggle their writing along with a “day” job, caring for their families, and other commitments. It’s a busy schedule to be sure, one that makes most non-writers’ heads spin. If we don’t pay attention, those commitments will overrun our writing, leaving stories and lost chances by the side of the road.

I think most of us have been there with missed submission deadlines for publisher projects or even missed deadlines with our editors. The book we wanted to write becomes the book we’ve been working on for weeks, months, sometimes even years. The story is all too familiar, and those of us who have experienced it don’t want to go back there again.

The best way to stop “life” from happening to our writing is to set boundaries. Draw the proverbial line in the sand or across the stone bridge. We do this to carve out time for us to write. When we look at what submission calls we’ll submit to or what stories we will compose, we’re setting boundaries. Some authors won’t write about certain topics; those decisions become boundaries. The same process goes with publishers. Many of us have publishers we will, or we won’t work with. Each boundary we place guides us closer to our goal.

Some boundaries are easy. For example, if we have no interest in a specific topic, then we won’t write about it. When we hear about a publisher behaving badly, the decision comes quickly not to submit to that publisher. If a market is non-paying, we might make the easy decision that it isn’t for us.

Other boundaries we create aren’t as easy and might require thought and careful deliberation. How to accommodate writing and family would be one of those boundaries. Perhaps it means having a spouse or friend help with child care. Maybe it means shutting yourself in your office for a specified amount of time. It means standing up for your career and your dreams. Saying YES to the life you want to build for yourself.

In order to do this, it’s important for a writer to connect with his or her Guardian Muse. This is the inner wizard standing at the pass determining what can, or cannot, pass. Connecting with the Guardian Muse starts with a single step: saying YES to your writing career. Then, follow that up by treating it like a career.

Regular schedules help. Sometimes that isn’t possible, so writing when you can, and as often as you can, works, too. Getting rid of guilt that you’re taking care of yourself and your career will make finding that Guardian Muse all the easier. In fact, just that single step can pull your Guardian Muse out of hiding and send it into action.

Boundaries are important. Ask any sports teams and boundaries can be essential to how the game is played. We erect boundaries in our lives all the time, so why shouldn’t our writing be any different? Not from a sense of fear, for Gandalf showed no fear with the Balrog. He did what he needed to do so The Fellowship could continue. And that’s what our Guardian Muse will do for us. Stand at the boundary and ensure that only those things which are essential to our career pass through.

Our writing career might not be as life or death as the scene in Lord of the Rings. However, it is just as important to us, and it’s worthy of our protection.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Guardian Muse, visit Mary’s website, http://www.musecharmer.com, to pick up her free cd, Easy ways to Unleash Your Inner Muse-Powered Super Hero (of which your guardian muse is one of the powers).

Mary Caelsto's Bio: 
With over a decade in publishing as an author (over 50 books/novellas published under a couple of different pen names) as well as approaching five years as a publisher, Mary Caelsto helps authors create careers as inspired as the stories they write. With her work as The Muse Charmer, she puts authors in touch with their muse. Visit her website at http://www.musecharmer.com to learn more about Mary and her work.

Janice Seagraves In The Hot Seat Chatting About Matrix Crystal Hunters #scifi #romance

Today we have Janice Seagraves in the hot seat, chatting about her newest release, Matrix Crystal Hunters! I love a good sci-fi romance and this is definitely going into my TBR pile! 

~Mia

~*~

Janice Seagraves' Quick round:

Coffee, tea or…what’s your vice? I drink a lot of tea. My favorite is Roasted Green Tea.

Favorite Movie: Princess Bride

Favorite Color: Blue, but I also like mint green and burgundy.

Favorite book/author: PD Hodgell

How do you feel about bacon? Love it. Do you have some?

The REAL questions… 

Tell us a little about yourself. 

I’m a trained artist. I’ve drawn (not written) since I could hold a crayon in my chubby little fist.

What’s under your bed?

Storage. And some of my daughter’s baby clothes, and a box of leather. I’m an artist so I do keep odd things around.

Really.

What comes first, plot or characters?

Both, but my stories are character driven.

Pantser, plotter, or hybrid? Tell us about your writing process. Plotter. I either dream or daydream my stories into existence.

Oddest thing on your desk?

Um. *looking around* Do I have to name all of the odd things on my desk? I have two dancing flowers, two statues of kittens on top of phones, an old landline phone, and sticker of a vampire.

What’s your most interesting writing quirk?

I stare off at nothing but I’m really writing in my mind…. I am really.

What’s your favorite thing about the genre you write in?

Right now it’s Science Fiction Romance.

What is the hardest thing about being an author?

People not respecting what you do. They’ll call it a hobby.*wench*

What’s the easiest thing about being an author?

Writing.

What do you wish someone had asked you for an interview question? 

How does my family feel about my writing? I could make you weep. When I first told them I wanted to be a writer, they laughed at me. *sob, sob, sob*

Tell us about your latest release!

Blurb: Team Alpha Three’s spaceship is out of power after fighting a wormhole, and parked on the primitive world of Zenevieva. With half the team sick from radiation poisoning, the team commander entrust geologist, Maya Gladstone, to find enough matrix crystals to power up their spacecraft, so they can go home to Earth.

Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desire the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.

~*~

Excerpt from Matrix Crystal Hunters...

As promised, Maya bought another cheap tote so she wouldn’t damage her prize. Then she worked her way through the bazaar, buying supplies for the next day’s trip. As she went from tent to tent, hunting down the few veggies, fruit and other types of food that she could digest, she caught glimpses of the Zeeman following her. She tensed. What does he want with me?

She stalked completely round one of the tents to come face to face with him. Now’s my chance. “Why are you following me?”

“What? I don’t know what you mean.” He took a step back.

Maya grabbed a fistful of his dark brown robes. “Yes, you do. You’ve been dogging my steps from moment I set foot on your planet.” She suddenly noticed that the young man was bigger than she’d thought. His chest was deep and his shoulders broad. His arms were larger than Bobby’s and he worked out. And here I am, holding him by his clothes.

He stared at her hand. “I like you and want to get to know you. If you were one of my people, I would woo you.”

She realized his robe wasn’t made from the rough, homespun fabric used by the common Zeeman. Is he a clan lord? Maya loosened her grip on the silky material. “Who are you?”

He moved back and swept his arm down in an elaborate bow. “My name is Vach Namaste of the Namaste clan. It would please me if you remembered it.”

With a flutter of his robes, he hurried away, weaving through the crowd. It wasn’t until he had disappeared that Maya realized that he’d been speaking to her in English.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vach finally reached the edge of the bazaar, where he had tied up his steed. He patted its thick neck. “Hey, Brawley.”

His mount woke up with a snort, then lipped at his hand, demanding a treat. It was still standing in the same place that he left it and no one had bothered it. No one would dare touch a sherakey, not even this sleepy fellow. Reaching into a pouch, Vach dug out a sweet lump for his mount. Giving him the treat, Vach turned to see if the human female had followed.

She hadn’t.

He felt disappointed. But she wasn’t of his race and didn’t understand the proper way to act. If she wanted him to woo her, she should have followed him. If she didn’t, then she should have knocked him on his well-bred butt, just like the human guard had suggested.

Vach had wanted this human female since he saw her step out of the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. Her blue eyes drew him closer. Her long, red hair made him want to run his fingers through it. Her curves sent flames of desire flickering through his body. He’d taken to coming into town regularly to stroll by the compound, just to see if she would be there. Today had been one of those rare good days when she was there to follow. He learned a little more about her each time. Now he knew she wanted to find something. If he knew what it was, maybe he could find it for her.

Climbing up on the saddle, Vach clicked his tongue and his mount started down the dusty road toward the Namaste bachelor compound. He contemplated his plan for Hymeneal Night. Vach already knew from eavesdropping at the map seller’s tent that Maya would be out on the desert, all alone.

And then he’d get his chance to have her.

~*~

Buy links for Matrix Crystal Hunters

US, Kindle 

UK, Kindle 

US, Trade paper back 

UK, Trade paper back 

Janice Seagraves’s website

Draven St. James Talks The Up And Down of Writerly Emotions and Scent Of A Wolf #mm #wolfshifter

Today we have Draven St. James discussing the myriad emotions a writer experiences while writing and publishing a book. We also get an adult sample of her latest yummy release from Loose Id, Scent of a Wolf, a m/m shifter story. Enjoy! 

~Mia

~*~

Exhaustion, elation, happiness and fear. These are all emotions that I felt when I found out my first book, Grey's Hidden Fire, would be published. The second, Scent of a Wolf, even more so. Why exhaustion? Writing a book is like giving birth to your own creativity. It's time consuming, beautiful and brave. Why is it brave? Because it takes a lot of courage to put out a piece of writing that is close to your heart and say, "I hope you enjoy this". It's almost as though you're standing in a room naked, tattooed with the words that have, up until that point, only existed in your mind.

Elation? It's exciting when publication occurs. That pure moment of joy when you see your book out there for others to read. There is an out of body experience. It is a piece of oneself that will always be present for others to see. For introverted writers, like myself, it is probably the closest thing to public speaking that we are likely to delve into willingly.

Fear? I think that one is obvious. The fear is there because suddenly other people are judging your writing. Let me tell you something about that judgment and those reviews, don't define yourself by them. Write and write what you love. That will come across in your work. At the end of the day a writer is someone who puts pen to paper (or key to word document) because it is in his or her soul.

I sit here writing out this blog with multiple word documents open because I always have many characters vying for attention in my head. One of my greatest joys is knowing I get to share those with you readers. So please, jump into the sexy, intelligent, amazing stories that my shifters and firemen have revealed to me. If you're a late night reader, like myself, these men are well worth the sleep deprivation.

~*~

Blurb for Scent of a Wolf

Jace Shaw is one of the few survivors of an extraordinary, rare wolf pack. He spends his days on the run and his nights in another world with a man he's only dreamed about. To sleep is to feel his dream man's hands on his body and hear his wicked whispered words. But when the sun rises reality crashes in: the evil that destroyed his birth pack hunts his kind down in search of a way to control their power.


Merek Wahya is an alpha dealing with all the issues of being newly appointed, but they all fall away when he closes his eyes at night. Then, a man with moonlit hair and mercury eyes crawls into bed with him. When he wakes it's to a painful arousal no one can satisfy. When Merek's wolf catches Jace's scent he knows he's found his mate, and he soon learns their nocturnal meetings were only foreplay. The joy of this discovery is shadowed by the trouble that follows Jace. Merek's mate is embroiled in a battle between two ancient packs, a war Merek must now fight. If he fails he could lose Jace forever.

Links to buy:

Amazon 

Loose Id

Adult Excerpt for Scent of a Wolf:

“Submit.”

Merek pinned Jace’s wrists to the ground. The man loomed close, his muscular frame pressing against Jace’s so he touched all the right spots. Jace squirmed in a halfhearted effort to get free even as his body screamed at him to yield to the pleasure that Merek could provide.

Merek leaned down to whisper, “You’re always so damned difficult.”

The moon shone down, filtering through the webwork of trees that canopied their nocturnal wicked activities. In the pale silver light, he could see Merek’s face. It was composed of sharp angles, a prominent nose, chiseled jaw, and a sensual mouth. That mouth never failed to make Jace’s cock twitch. Merek’s face was almost always partially shaded by the long locks of black hair that flowed down to touch his broad shoulders. Hair so dark it refracted light in shades of blue—an eerie color reflected in his eyes. They were the palest blue Jace had ever seen. The eyes of a wolf, and he growled like one too.

Letting the primitive nature of their wolves loose in the magnificent embrace of the wilderness was instinctive. The smell of damp grass and pine trees wafted around them. But beneath that scent was Merek’s—rich, primal, and addictive.

Jace strove to stop his grin as he bucked his hips in an attempt to get Merek off him. The man was too strong for his own good. The move only resulted in Merek chuckling and adjusting to hold both of Jace’s wrists in one hand. The other he used to lightly caress Jace’s cheek and jawline. Merek brushed his thumb over Jace’s bottom lip, causing a shudder to flow through Jace. He knew just what those hands were capable of.

No matter how hard he fought himself, he couldn’t help but tilt his neck into the soft touch. Merek gave him a sensual smile.

Jace tried to twist away again, to get the upper hand, but to no avail. Merek trailed his hand lower, and Jace arched into the gentle touch. The man was doing his best to destroy Jace’s control, and it was so tempting to catapult to the carnal command.

“Just one word, Jace, and I’ll give you everything.”

Merek leisurely traced his fingertips down Jace’s naked chest, along the hard muscles of his stomach, and stopped at the waist of Jace’s low-riding jeans. Jace curved into the touch. Desperate for Merek to go lower.

“Submit to me.”

* * * *

Jace Shaw sat up sharply in bed. The image of sweat-slicked bodies and the sound of throaty growls saturated his mind. The sex-laden dreams had his heart pounding with lust and his cock pulsing with raw need. Rampant desire raged through him so intensely he could barely catch his breath.

All because of some hot mountain of a man whose wolf seemed determined to dominate him. He could easily overpower Jace. He was more muscled and towered over Jace’s five-eleven frame by at least half a foot, and that was in human form. Yet Jace had never been intimidated by or afraid of him. It was through their dreams he had eventually found out the man’s name was Merek.

Every one-night stand he had to assuage the fire Merek inspired failed miserably. All the men had lacked in some way. He had tried to drown his sexual appetite in men who mirrored the man he wanted so badly to fuck. He’d screwed men from the East Coast to the West Coast, but not one of them had lasted more than the a few hours he’d rented the hotel room for. None of them tempted the wild nature of his wolf. At the end of the night, he was left with the sick feeling he had in some way betrayed Merek.

Merek hadn’t always been so rough and hard. They had grown and matured together over the years. Merek’s dark features had developed into granite lines. His body had become sculpted muscles built by hard work. It wasn’t until the past couple of years that the interaction had become two-sided. Before, it had always been as though Jace were a ghost on the sidelines…watching.

Merek hadn’t shown any sign he even knew Jace existed, with one exception. Merek stopped cutting his hair the day Jace’s parents were killed. The day Jace’s safe world came crashing down. The moment when he had been forced to grow up, learn how to survive, and how to fight those who would continue to hunt what remained of his family. That had been his new reality.

But now, despite the fear and insecurity that followed him, there wasn’t a night when he didn’t end up tangled in sweaty sheets with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous playing opposite him in some Kama Sutra porn marathon.

“Submit.”

~*~

About the author...

Draven St. James is a born and raised Oregonian. She has traveled extensively in search of mischief and mayhem to fill her books. Her ventures have been quite successful in inspiring a wealth of stories. Of course at the end of the day, coffee within reach, laptop at the ready is where she finds her peace.

Connect with Draven St. James on the Web! 

Facebook 

Blog 

Twitter

Pinterest

Email: Dravenstjames@gmail.com

~*~

Also Out Now...

Grey's Hidden Fire 

Loose Id 

Amazon

~*~

Coming Soon...

Fire and Mistletoe 

Out December 24th

~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

Lois Winston Offers Up Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception #.99 super bundle!

Today we have the talented Lois Winston (who also writes as Emma Carlyle) chatting about knitting emus and Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. This award-winning novel is part of the Romance Super Bundle, offering 10 awesome reads for only .99! I know you're itching to get yours, but read the interview first. Lois is very witty. 

~Mia 

~*~

Quick round for Lois Winston!

Coffee, tea or…what’s your vice?

 Coffee, 24/7!

Favorite Movie:

 Classic: Casablanca

Contemporary: Shakespeare in Love

Favorite Color:

 Black (because it’s so slimming!)

Favorite book/author:

Depends on my mood. If I want to laugh, it’s Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, but I’m also a huge fan of Ariana Franklin’s Mistress of Death historical mysteries.

How do you feel about bacon?

I especially like it when it’s chocolate covered. But then again, everything is better when covered in chocolate.

The REAL questions… (you don’t have to answer all of them but I do want to know more about you AND what’s under your bed. I’m growing dust elephants for profit. I don’t want to be out-marketed.)

*Tell us a little about yourself. (Please answer this one even if you think it’s boring. Make something up, tell us about your cherry stem tying skill… Tell us about your knitting or your llama…whatever works.)

Hmm…no one has ever asked me about my knitting, my llamas, or my knitting

Of course the emus knit...they had a knitting company.

llamas. Seriously, though, my llamas don’t knit. They cross stitch. The emus knit. Okay, I’m pulling your leg. I’m a city girl. No llamas, no emus. I knit the occasional scarf, used to knit sweaters but haven’t made one in years. I no longer cross stitch, thanks to the need for trifocals, but I do design cross stitch for various craft and needlework magazines and an embroidery floss manufacturer.

What’s under your bed?

  A city of dust bunnies and several plastic bins of clothing that no longer fit. But hope springs eternal. Someday I just may lose those 20 lbs. and fit back into those outfits.

What comes first, plot or characters?

 Depends on the book. Some of them have started with characters, others with an idea for a plot.

Pantser, plotter, or hybrid? Tell us about your writing process.

Definitely a pantser. I’ll get an idea for a scene and run with it, building a book around it.

Oddest thing on your desk?

 A reindeer pencil.

What’s your most interesting writing quirk?

 I’m a “method” writer. Much like method actors, I envision myself as the characters in my book, then write the scene as I experience it in my head.

What’s your favorite thing about the genre you write in?

 I write in several genres—romance, mystery, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. I enjoy different aspects of each.

What is the hardest thing about being an author?

 Relatives and non-writer friends who expect free books. They think we’re all pulling in James Patterson and Nora Roberts type money. If only…

What’s the easiest thing about being an author?

 The commute.

Tell us about your latest release!

My latest release, Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception, is actually an ebook reissue of the first book I ever wrote. It became the second book I sold. It’s currently available as part of the Romance Super Bundle, a boxed set collection of ten full-length novels by ten authors for the incredibly low price of only .99 cents.

Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception—blurb

Winner of the 2008 Winter Rose Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction, the 2008 More Than Magic Award, and the 2008 Laurie Award

Life has delivered one sucker punch after another to Emma Wadsworth. As a matter of fact, you could say the poor little rich girl is the ultimate poster child for Money Can’t Buy Happiness — even if she is no longer a child.

Billionaire real estate stud Logan Crawford is as famous for his less-than-platinum reputation as he is his business empire. In thirty-eight years he’s never fallen in love, and that’s just fine with him — until he meets Emma.

But Emma’s not buying into Logan’s seductive ways. Well, maybe just a little, but she’s definitely going into the affair with her eyes wide open. She’s no fool. At least not any more. Her deceased husband saw to that. Besides, she knows Logan will catch the first jet out of Philadelphia once he learns her secrets.

Excerpt from Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception...

Winter wonderland, my ass.

The stinging wind whipped at Emma’s exposed cheeks and brought tears to her eyes. Lowering her head, she trudged around the enormous mounds of black snow piled along the curb, searching for a semi-safe path onto the sidewalk. Finding none, she grabbed a parking meter and hauled herself over the smallest of the soot-encrusted icebergs. Some people would go to any lengths for their morning cup of java, and she was one of them.

As she yanked open the door to Chapters and Verse, the “Spring Movement” of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons greeted her. Someone had a really warped sense of humor. Or hoped the power of positive thinking could affect weather patterns. Still, the music held a reminder that the harsh realities of early February in Philadelphia would eventually give way to sunshine and flowers come late March. Maybe. Last year they’d suffered through one of their worst blizzards ever the first week in April.

Emma shivered, thoughts of daffodils and crocuses quickly replaced by the chill rippling through her damp body. Shaking the moisture from her hair, she deposited her coat on a chair in the café, then headed for the coffee bar.

“Morning,” said the barista. “The usual?”

“Please.”

With her morning shot of caffeine and sugar in hand, Emma trolled the stacks of books, occasionally pulling a volume from the shelves and sliding it under her arm. She needed the predictability of this daily routine. It helped her get through the rest of the day. Every day.

Why the hell do I stay?

If she had any courage, she’d leave. Sell the house. Move away. Start over. But she couldn’t leave, and her reasons had little to do with a lack of courage. Life in Emmaville was just too damn complex. One part guilt, one part masochism. But how could she leave the only tangible reminder she had of life before everything had turned to shit?

So she stayed, losing herself in work that at least gave her the satisfaction of knowing her efforts helped others. She pushed herself each day until exhaustion overcame her and she fell into nightmare-riddled sleep. Tomorrow morning the cycle would repeat itself. I’m a twenty-first century Sisyphus, eternally damned to live out an unending punishment for my sins. Not that she had a clue as to whatever sin first condemned her years before, but she’d certainly committed a whopper since then. Whether a sin of omission or commission, it hardly mattered. The result was the same.

Still, what would be the harm in a short escape? She deserved that much, didn’t she? Emma closed her eyes and conjured up a distant memory of a sun-kissed Adriatic coastline. Hell, why not? She opened her eyes and headed for the travel section.

~*~

Logan Crawford’s mind kept drifting back to the events of last night, an evening definitely not worth remembering. Even her name escaped him. Normally not a problem, but this time he was saddled with Candi-Randi-Bambi-whatever-the-hell-her-name-was for the length of his stay in Philadelphia. As head of the city’s redevelopment office, she was his official escort-slash-liaison, the person assigned to make certain he chose the City of Brotherly Love as the East coast site for his corporate headquarters. And last night Candi-Randi-Bambi, a woman who wore her ambition emblazoned across her surgically augmented chest, made it abundantly clear just how far she’d go to get him to sign on the dotted line. And it was far from brotherly. Or sisterly.

Logan doubted he was the first billionaire businessman she’d bedded in her quest up the corporate ladder, but he’d wager a good portion of his sizeable fortune that he was the biggest—the wunderkind West Coast urban developer who was giving The Donald a run for his money. Only Logan had better hair—as the media was quick to point out.

With a snap of his fingers, he could provide Candi-Randi-Bambi with an express elevator straight through the glass ceiling, and she knew it.

No fucking way in hell.

Last night when he stared down into Candi-Randi-Bambi’s come-hither eyes, he saw the reflection of a disillusioned, unhappy man. And damn, up to that moment he hadn’t even realized he’d been disillusioned or unhappy. He had wealth; he had power. So what was up with the sudden emptiness and dissatisfaction?

Beryl would say it was because he led a shallow life devoid of emotional commitment. As much as he protested to the contrary, he knew she was right. Maybe it was time to leave the bimbos to Trump.

Struck by the epiphany, he’d bolted from Candi-Randi-Bambi’s bed. They’d used each other. She spread her legs hoping to advance her career; he’d taken advantage of the offer. Sex without emotional entanglements, the pattern of his adult life. He got the release he needed, and the woman got a notch on her bedpost. Only this time it hadn’t worked. After thirty-eight years Logan Crawford realized it was time to grow up. Only damn it, he didn’t have a clue how.

Still reeling from the self-revelation, he’d canceled his morning appointments and headed his rental car north, needing some time alone to think. After driving for half an hour he found himself in a quiet, upscale section of Philadelphia. A bookstore on top of a hill beckoned like a siren.

For the rest of his stay in Philadelphia he vowed to spend his nights curled up with a good thriller rather than a cheap thrill. Now all he had to do was find one. At the moment he couldn’t even find the damn fiction section in the boundless maze of shelves that wound around the first level of the two story megastore. Lost in the travel section, he spun on his heels and—

THUD!

Bio:

Award-winning author Lois Winston writes romance, romantic suspense, mystery, chick lit, women’s fiction, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” Visit Lois at www.loiswinston.com, visit Emma at www.emmacarlyle.com, and visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog. Follow everyone on Twitter  and Pinterest 

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